Tackling the climate crisis with a game plan

What does it take to win? As a handball fanatic, you’ll find me contemplating this question every weekend when I’m cheering my son’s handball team from the side-lines. Is it teamwork? Tenacity? Strategic thinking? My son will likely tell you that there’s no secret sauce. Beating an opponent takes everything you’ve got.??

It's the same with most challenges we face – we won’t get anywhere without preparation and commitment. Tackling the climate crisis with a game plan has been on my mind a lot these past few weeks. Perhaps because the Women’s Handball Euro Cup 22 and the COP27 coincided this past month. As my team (allez les bleus!) was gearing up for the semi-final, the EU was struggling to break a deadlock on the other side of the world.?

I’ve been working in the IT industry for over 10 years – helping SME clients find technology that helps them thrive. While my clients are increasingly aware of sustainability, they don’t always know where to start. Research shows that two-thirds of small business owners are worried they don’t have the skills to beat the climate crisis. With SMEs making up 90% of business worldwide1 and accounting for 45% of business energy use2, we must figure out how to crack this nut.??

Just like in a tense game of handball, the answer lies in putting our heads together and choosing the very best option with every single decision we make. There’s no room for posturing either – the only way to mount a solid defence is to be honest about the challenges we face.?

Back to basics: Reduce?

I always tell my clients to let regulations do the hard work. Never ignore a product’s energy rating and make it a rule of thumb to choose the highest rated product. Energy Star Certified devices are a great example of this.?

Choosing the right type of device is also key. Most desktops use about 200 watts3 an hour. While laptops tend to fall between 50 to 100 watts per hour4. So switching to laptops is the way to go, right???

Well, yes and no. I’d caution against sustainability hacks that don’t take the full picture into account. If you are going to choose a laptop, choose one that can keep up with what your team needs. Opting for a device that you cannot patch, repair, or upgrade is false economy and will end up causing more harm to the environment when you inevitably need to replace it.??

These are the top technological advances I recommend looking out for in any type of device:??

• Intelligent Cooling??

This tech automatically adjusts settings to cool your device without compromising on performance?

• Adaptive Thermal Management??

Devices with ATM can adjust fan speeds based on ambient temperature?

• Energy Saving Power Supply Unit??

PSU turns off the internal fan when it’s not needed to continuously save energy??

• Cutting-edge battery technology??

Where possible, choose devices with embedded batteries – the lithium polymer cells in this type of battery typically provide longer life cycles than lithium-ion cylindrical cells?

When every device your team uses is as environmentally friendly as possible, the cumulative difference means you drastically reduce your carbon footprint.??

Knowledge is power?

You can’t win if you’re playing on a bad team. In our globalized world, there’s no getting away from it: our actions don’t end with us anymore. Climate change doesn’t just affect those responsible for the most pollution – it weighs heavily on lower-income countries. Sustainability is interconnected. We must choose the right partners if we want to meet our goals.?

Here’s what I chat my clients through when it comes to choosing a supplier:??

• Recycling:?

Look for suppliers that use recycled material from a closed-loop – meaning they reuse materials from devices they previous sold. Look for take-back programmes that take care of hardware takeover, data destruction, reconditioning and recycling. That way, you can do your bit without needing your teams to take on work they may not have the time or skill for.??

• Reuse:??

The Right to Repair movement is gathering steam. Always check the repairability index when buying new devices. The rating shows how easily a device can be fixed and also indicates the availability of repair manuals and spare parts.??

• Transport:??

Choose a supplier that communicates their transport strategy clearly since the difference transport can make is profound. Lenovo reduced emissions on a Shanghai to Frankfurt route by 982 tonnes of CO2 after switching to sustainable fuel. The packaging is also important – Lenovo was able to pack 18% more stock in pallets once we switched to bamboo packaging. It is much lighter than conventional materials and a smaller amount of it is needed to protect the product. That meant fewer trips.????

• Offsetting??

We all know that buying tech can hurt the environment. Offsetting projects allow you to support charities that try and compensate for the harm done. Offsetting isn’t a panacea. But it’s a start. Look for suppliers that show the research on projects they endorse right at the start.?

Game on?

When we work together to share insights on sustainability, we can beat climate change. And we have to. The stakes are high, after all. A loss would be catastrophic. A win would mean the world, quite literally.???

?Have you seen any innovative approaches to sustainability that have impressed you recently? Connect with me here and let’s get a conversation going.??

And – if you need any help on your net zero journey, let me know. I’ve got a few ideas about how Lenovo solutions, powered by Intel? technology can get you where you want to be faster. As I said – going green is a team sport!?